I clearly remember sitting in the board room in Mesa Public Schools, the summer before what would be my first full year as a high school Spanish teacher.  All of the world language teachers from around the district were gathered together for some professional development before the official start to the school year.  The district language coordinator had russled up enough money to pay us all for an extra day (as most teachers new to the profession, I would have worked for free and was desperate for whatever training and support I could get my hands on).  As the morning began, we did the customary things – filled out sign-in sheets, enjoyed some light snacks, had a brief hello and welcome from the district superintendent, and then a round of introductions.  Then, the dancing m&ms high-stepped into the room, a la the Rockettes.  

The “m’s” emblazoned on all of the dancers’ shirts stood for “memorable” and “meaningful,” what would soon be revealed to us as the theme for that school year.  The message was clear – nothing you do will really matter if your don’t do it with the goal of making it both memorable and meaningful for your students.  Otherwise, yours will just be another brief stop on the ever-moving train of high school – a class that might be rarely remembered or thought about.  Now, 16 years later, I still remember the message and how it was delivered with clarity.  It met the memorable and meaningful standard of practice.

To be memorable, we must create moments that are out of the ordinary, that break the normal routine.  Yes, education can be something of a slog at times, for teachers and students alike.  Learning new skills and knowledge can take a lot of practice over time.  During a year of distance learning, it can be similarly easy to fall into the trap of being satisfied with the routine, day in and day out.  To be memorable, we have to deliberately shake things up and do something a little unexpected.  Dancing m&m’s was a bit zany and a little bit nuts, but it definitely hit the mark. 

To be meaningful, we have to invest in strong relationships of trust with our students and professional colleagues.  We have to understand what is important to our students, and then we have to show how what we have to offer can be applicable in their lives, both in the classroom and outside of school.  We have to deliberately make connections between students’ academic identities and the broader world around them.  Students have to see that you are personally invested in their success.  Sitting in that board room, surrounded by dancing curriculum specialists, I had a clear impression that here was a curriculum coordinator who would do whatever if took to support me in my efforts to be effective in the classroom.  

Now in distance learning, we have to be especially creative to make things memorable and meaningful.  I’ve seen it happen in many ways, from cultural exchanges with student presentations in traditional costume, to student moderated debates, to teachers who volunteered to  pass out student materials so they could personally meet each one of their students.  Sometimes the efforts are big – like a Halloween caravan this coming Saturday, to those that are very small – like a personal phone call to a student who seems to be struggling to connect.  Whether big or small, our efforts to make the student experience as memorable and meaningful as possible have a positive impact.  And sometimes, perhaps not always but sometimes, those efforts stay with a student for the rest of their lives.